(201) Magazine Blogs

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Wilkerson: it was ‘rookie mistake,’ but he won’t back down

Jets’ rookie DE Muhammad Wilkerson spoke to reporters on a conference call today, one day after he was ejected against the Giants for fighting with RB Brandon Jacobs, who also was tossed.
Interestingly, Wilkerson wasn’t backing down from what happened.
‘Was it a smart move? No. Do I regret it? No. It’s football. I don’t want to let anybody take advantage of me.’
He did admit that ‘it was a rookie mistake. I let my anger get the best of me there. That’s something I’ve got to learn from and move forward with.’
I will say this—it’s not something a player should make a habit of, but in that one sequence, Wilkerson showed a lot more fire than Vernon Gholston ever did.
His teammates certainly noticed. Although veteran S Jim Leonhard said, ‘You don’t want to see it come to throwing punches and stuff like that and getting kicked out of a game,’ he added that Wilkerson ‘is a competitive guy. He did a great job on the play and Brandon Jacobs took offense to it. ... He’s not backing down. You do love to see that.’
Wilkerson will be the only projected starter who will play Thursday against the Eagles.

Other news and notes:

FB John Conner [sprained left ankle] didn’t practice today and Rex Ryan sounded kind of unsure, at first, if he would play against Dallas on Sept. 11. But then he said, ‘He’s an awfully tough kid. I assume he would be ready.’
Ryan said it’s ‘not even close’ to a situation in which they might try to bring back former starter Tony Richardson, still out there as a free agent. Still, Conner is in a walking boot. I also threw out the name of former Don Bosco star Brian Toal, waived last week, but Ryan didn’t bite on that.
Also not practicing was QB Mark Brunell [calf], and he won’t play Thursday, Ryan indicated. Ryan also said CB Darrelle Revis has a minor injury to his right hip and is being monitored.

Ryan said former first-round pick Aaron Maybin is not guaranteed a roster spot.
‘Quite honestly, [Jamaal] Westerman and [Garrett] McIntyre are playing really well for us,’ Ryan said, adding that Maybin, ‘is going to have to show more. I think he’s going to play in this league [but] we’ll see if he can play for us.’
Honestly, I don’t know how much the Jets will be able to glean from Maybin playing against reserves versus Philadelphia on Thursday. He played a few snaps last night against Giants’ starters, but didn’t show very much.

Ryan also said WR Logan Payne [wrist] will have surgery. Payne appeared to have the inside track to the fifth WR spot, especially because of his special teams ability. However, he got hurt on a special teams play. I would say the ball is in Patrick Turner’s court now. I think the former USC teammate of Mark Sanchez has had a good camp. Look for him to start Thursday along with Jeremy Kerley.

Ryan praised Nick Novak, the loser to Nick Folk in the kicker competition. ‘I think the young man will be able to kick in this league. I don’t think there’s any question about that,’ Ryan said. ‘This will give him an opportunity to hook on maybe for a game [with another team] and who knows what will go from there.’
I don’t know, it might be a bit late for Novak to catch on elsewhere with 15 preseason finales being played in two days. But Ryan is right; Novak, a journeyman, showed he still can kick in the NFL.

Source: Novak, Bryan cut

A league source confirmed reports that the Jets have cut K Nick Novak and P Chris Bryan. That means that Nick Folk wins the kicking job and T.J. Conley iks the clubhouse leader to be the opening-day punter. Remember, GM Mike Tannenbaum loves to make waiver claims, so it’s possible that if another punter the Jets like is released by another team, he could wind up in green and white.
Conley had a terrific night last night, including a 51-yard net on a punt that the Giants’ Jerrel Jernigan muffed while going out of bounds. Bryan was very impressive the first week of camp, but Conley came on steadily and wound up passing him, basically. Folk was 4-for-5 on FG attempts, and Novak was 2-for-2. But special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff had made it clear to me in an interview last week that, much like a boxer, Novak would have to knock out incumbent Folk to get the job. That did not happen.

Plax on the Giants

Here are some excerpts from WR Plaxico Burress in the postgame:
On how it felt to play against his former teammates…
It felt good. It felt good to see some of the guys, and coaches and different things. It was just pretty good to see everybody and shake their hands and have some good laughs and memories and things like that.
On what his emotions were during the coin toss, as one of the game’s captains…
Not to lose the toss, but that didn’t happen (laughing). We lost that one, but we pretty much got what we wanted. The defense got to go out and get a stop. Our goal was to go out and score on the first drive on offense, but we didn’t do that. My goal was to not to lose the toss, so it didn’t start off the way I wanted, but it felt good for Rex (Ryan) to choose me as a captain, to go out there by myself and represent this team and the organization. That was definitely a good feeling and I enjoyed it.
On what it was like to see his former teammates and getting to speak to Giants owner John Mara…
I saw those guys a few weeks ago. It’s just good to get out there, and see some of them before warmups and everybody’s supporting me, wanting me to do well, and wishing me good luck. So, I mean, it’s a good feeling. It’s just good to have their support, and like I said, we did some great things while I was over there, and it’s just good that everybody’s supporting me and wishing me well.
On whether he spoke to Giants QB Eli Manning prior to tonight’s game…
I actually ran into Eli the other day at the movies, coming out. I was going to see the Smurfs. I was with my family though, so I’ve got an excuse (laughing). It was him and Sean O’Hara, but I did get the chance to see them, I believe it was Saturday. We talked for a little while, but it was good for me and him to have some good laughs out there on the field after the game, and we joked around a little bit. He’s a phenomenal, talented quarterback. He’s going to do whatever, sky’s the limit. I think that he’s going to keep getting better and better as time goes on.

Thoughts on Jets-Giants

Some observations from the Boredom, I mean Snoopy Bowl at MetLife Stadium:
1. The Jets’ first-string offense needs some work. The Jets weren’t able to move the ball very much against the Giants, managing only 113 yards. Although Mark Sanchez wasn’t sacked, he was forced to step up several times and to scramble on a few occasions. His chemistry with his wideouts was spotty on this night, other than the perfect pitch-and-catch with Santonio Holmes for the 17-yard TD.
And Sanchez’s fumble was an ‘idiot’ play, as he himself said. Clint Sintim’s recovery set up the G-Men’s only points.
2. The first-team defense was a mixed bag. They bent but didn’t break, forcing two key interceptions from Eli Manning. Pressure from ILB David Harris resulted in S Jim Leonhard’s first-quarter pick, and pressure from ILB Bart Scott and S Eric Smith set up Harris’ second-quarter INT. BTW, is it just me, or does Eli sometimes panic?
3. CB Antonio Cromartie had an interesting night. Manning stayed away from Darrelle Revis for the most part [shocker, right?] and picked on Cromartie. Had Manning been on target to Mario Manningham on one throw, he would’ve had a 71-yard TD pass. However, Cromartie also had the play of the game for the Jets, a 68-yard kickoff return that set up their first TD. Cromartie likely won’t be used often in that role, but he can be a gamebreaker when he does it.
4. I think rookie Jeremy Kerley can be an electrifying performer as a Wildcat QB, but I wonder if he can survive the punishment physically. He’s generously listed as 5-9, 188, and if the Jets use him that way a lot, they could be tempting fate.
5. T.J. Conley seems to be pulling away from Chris Bryan in the punting competition. Conley averaged a 43.7 net on three punts with a long of 58 and a punt that was a 51-yard net. Bryan had a 35.7 net on three punts.
6. LB Nick Bellore continues to impress on the second-team defense, accounting for one of the Jets’ two sacks. The other was by CB Kyle Wilson on the last play of the first half.
7. The Jets need to be smarter with their emotions. RT Wayne Hunter got a 15-yard penalty basically for being the third man in, hockey-style, while RG Brandon Moore was engaged with a Giants’ LB Jonathan Goff after a play. Hunter admitted he was wrong, but said, ‘I was protecting Meat,’ referring to Moore’s nickname. The resulting 15-yard penalty derailed a promising possession, the final one for the starting offense.
And rookie DE Muhammad ‘Mo’ Wilkerson was ejected for fighting with RB Brandon Jacobs. Wilkerson might be the only projected starter on either side of the ball who plays Thursday against Philadelphia. Certainly he could use the reps after exiting early Monday night.
8. Too bad for WR Logan Payne, who suffered a wrist injury early in the game and didn’t return. He has a real chance to make the squad. The Jets like him on special, and this injury could derail him.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Pouha inactive for Jets

One surprise inactive for Jets is NT Sione Pouha [knee]. Rex Ryan had not mentioned him as a player not expected to play. Other inactives were expected: QB Mark Brunell [calf], G Trevor Canfield [knee], OL Rob Turner [fractured leg] and TE Jeff Cumberland [hamstring].
The Jets also announced that they lost power at the facility yesterday as part of the widespread power outages in the Florham Park area because of Irene. Those areas critical to the operation of the football team (i.e. coaching, personnel, team meeting rooms, training room, football video) continued to function off an existing generator. The team briefly conducted meetings there today. Beginning tomorrow morning, the majority of the business support staff will work from the stadium. In addition to the team, media relations and ticketing will continue to operate out of the practice facility in Florham Park.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Jets-Giants moved to Monday

The Jets-Giants game finally has been moved to Monday at 7 p.m. because of concerns about onrushing Hurricane Irene, expected to hit the NJ/NY area sometime Saturday night. This is the third time in which the game time has been moved. It originally was scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow, before being moved up five hours to 2 p.m.
The Jets will not practice Saturday, a team spokesman said, and their preseason finale against Philadelphia remains scheduled for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. It would be hard for the Jets to practice. The team tweeted that the goalposts at their Atlantic Health training facility were being taken down Friday afternoon for precautionary reasons.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Jets-Giants game moved to 2 p.m. Saturday

The Jets-Giants game has been moved to 2 p.m. Saturday because of concerns about the approaching Hurricane Irene. The original start time was 7 p.m.
As for other Jets’ news, Rex Ryan explained the cancellation of today’s scheduled practice at Hofstra this way: ‘You’ve always got to be thinking about the safety of the fans and the players first. That’s traveling to the practice, during practice, and the return from practice. So, a lot of things went into it. Obviously, we want to go to Hofstra every year, and it was just an unfortunate thing, but you have to do what’s in the best interests of the fans and the players first.’
The Jets canceled the practice several hours before the 6 p.m. start time because of forecast bad weather that never really materialized.

Ryan said QB Mark Brunell [calf], G Trevor Canfield [knee] and TE Jeff Cumberland [hamstring] won’t play. As for what he wants to see from the game, he said, ‘Really, I’d like to see us be able to establish the run game a little more and, obviously, this will be a huge test for us going against the Giants defense.’
He also was asked to comment on how the Giants’ Justin Tuck said MetLife Stadium is really Giants Stadium. Rex: ‘He can think all he wants, but I think of it as MetLife Stadium and it’s the home of the New York Jets. I guess he can think of it that way. He’ll probably be one of the only guys that think of it that way. I certainly don’t think of it that way.’
And he also didn’t back down from his comments in his book where he said the Jets are the big brother to the NYG: ‘Absolutely I [still] do. I guess we get to find out on Christmas Eve.Again, I am not backing down from one comment. I believe we are the best team in New York and the goal is to be the best in the National Football League, not just in New York. I am not backing down one bit from that statement.’

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Jets cancel Hofstra practice

The Jets announced that they have canceled their annual August practice at Hofstra tonight because of the bad weather in the forecast. The event will not be rescheduled this year. The Jets will return at some point next summer.
Too bad. As a Hofstra alum myself, I’ve enjoyed going back and I know the Long Island fans like it too.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Plaxico: ‘no anger toward’ Giants

WR Plaxico Burress again today said he has no animosity toward the Giants, his previous team. Burress and his new team, the Jets, will visit the Giants on Saturday for the annual preseason game between the Meadowlands’ co-tenants.
‘There was no anger toward anybody’ with the Giants, said Burress. ‘Everything that happened to me I brought upon myself.’ Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg at a Manhattan club in Nov. 2008, leading to a weapons charge and eventually, a 20-month prison term.
Burress again said that his visit to the Giants’ complex in late July was more about getting closure than anything else, adding, ‘personally, I think I needed a fresh start. ... I feel I’m in the right place. I’m happy here. I feel, on the whole, I made the right decision.’
Burress was asked what kind of a reception he might get from the Giants’ fans Saturday.
‘I’m really not sure. I’m really not concerned about it,’ he said.
Coach Rex Ryan said that Burress tweaked his back in practice reaching for a high pass, but Burress said he expects to practice this afternoon. He said it’s not an injury, just ‘soreness’ and added, ‘it’s football. It’s not like it’s badminton.’ He later said, ‘it’s not like going to 7-11 and buying a Slurpee. It’s a little more physical.’

Toal: ‘I’m optimistic’

I caught up with Brian Toal this afternoon, hours after the Jets informed the FB from Wyckoff they were waiving him from the roster.
Toal was disappointed, yet was classy as well. ‘I’m thankful for the opportunity the Jets gave me,’ said Toal, who was backing up starting FB John Conner. ‘They’re a great organization and I was very happy to be there. Hopefully, I can end up somewhere else.’
Toal indicated that his agent, Art Weiss, already had contacted several other teams. ‘We’ll wait and see if anything happens over the next couple of days,’ the former Don Bosco Prep star said. ‘I’m optimistic [the exposure with the Jets] will help.’
‘I definitely feel I can play in the NFL,’ said Toal, who had a terrific block at the point of attack to help spring Chris Jennings for a 69-yard run to the Cincinnati 8 late in Sunday’s 27-7 Jets’ win over the Bengals. ‘I’ve just got to stay positive.’

About

J.P. PELZMAN joined The Record in April 1998. He began his career at the Ocean County Observer in Toms River, where he spent one year before leaving for Newsday on Long Island. At The Record, he was the primary backup on the New York Jets’ beat for nine seasons, from 1998-2006, before becoming the beat writer in 2007. Pelzman also has been The Record’s beat writer for Seton Hall men’s basketball since the 2002-03 season.